An analysis of barriers which affect women in leadership positions in Eastern Cape Municipalities. Case study of Amathole District Municipality.

Abstract

The primary concern of the study is to examine leadership challenges confronted by women leaders in Eastern Cape municipalities. International organisations has made a number commitments encouraging gender parity and eliminating imbalance against women in the past three decades, through international platforms. In the World Summit held in 2005, it was recommended that a Platform for Action (1995) and the resolutions of the Twenty Third special session of the General Assembly as a crucial baseline in attaining then internationally agreed development goals, as well as those contained in the Millennium Declaration. (www.ilo.org) In the above forums national decision makers worldwide were urged to apply strategies and programmes which would improve gender fairness, in leadership positions, giving women complete and comparable share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making as men. South Africa as a role player in the international space also joined the world in endorsing various programmes and strategies which seek to address gender parities and strive to eliminate women oppression especially in public sector.